The Hitchhiker Job
by kausingkayn
Summary: Torchwood is missing it's two top operative, and the Leverage team has found them. Cons, aliens, and lots of flirting. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Ok, please don't ask me where this came from, because I'm not quiet sure myself. There is going to be a plot, no matter how strange or stupid. ^_^ My two favorite television shows have come together! Yay!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own both Leverage and Torchwood. If I did, there would be a show called Leverwood, and no one would want that. Hehe**

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The alarm sounded, alerting Tosh and Gwen that one of their teammates had arrived. They glanced up to see Owen waltzing in, several hours late and looking as if he had a splitting headache –which he probably did.

"Mornin' Owen." Gwen's voice greeted from behind her computer, where she was doing nothing, really. She had work to do, as they all did. However, the rift has been quiet, and since Jack nor Ianto were in at the moment, there was no incentive to finish said work. Tosh was focusing on re-writing some software update for the computers, and stopped only long enough to give Owen a cheerful smile.

"Bugger off." Came Owen's snark reply. He gave a half-hearted wave to the two woman as he made his way into the autopsy bay, throwing down his back with a loud thump before sitting in his chair and leaning his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was only a little before noontime, and he was already wishing it was night. It was then that the dead doctor noticed that things were quiet. Too quiet. "Oi, where Jack an' Ianto?"

Tosh and Gwen exchanged a look, their eyes daring the other one to answer the question. Finally, the newest of the two gave in. "Rift was quiet, so they went _Weevil Hunting._"

"Oh."

**--Torchwood--**

"Idiot." Mumbled Ianto under his breath, re-entering his bedroom, a few pain pills and a glass of water in hand. Once he reached his destination, the Welshman passed off both items to the man laying in his bed –the one and only Jack Harkness.

The Captain was currently sporting a good-sized gash in his head, which was being covered by a sock. A thin line of blood was running down his head from the wound. The man was without a shirt or undershirt, both of which had been tossed haphazardly across the room only minutes before. His belt was undone and zipper down, allowing his white briefs to say hello to the world. Jack, his smirk ever-lasting, thanked the younger man, removing his hand –and the sock– from his fast healing wound before swallowing the pills.

Ianto just rolled his eyes and bent over to pick up his shirt from the floor. He ignored the whistle emanating from the bed and shrugged the clothing back on, his still-shaking fingers having slight problems buttoning.

Jack frowned and changed his position on the bed, patting the empty space next to him. "You know, I worked hard to take that off, now you're ruining it."

"Jack." Came Ianto's voice.

"Yeah?"

"You hit your head….on my _bed post_." The young man deadpanned, finishing buttoning his shirt and moving to his dress pants, which he pushed down a little, giving himself enough room to comfortably tuck his shirt in before re-closing the zipper.

Another frown. "So? It's basically healed, and the others aren't expecting us back for…" He checked his wrist strap, which was always in its correct place. "Another hour."

"There's blood." Ianto stated. "On my _bed post_."

It was Jack's turn to roll his eyes. The Captain jumped off the bed, holding his pants with one hand while he fished for his braces. Finding them, he proceeded to clip them back into their rightful place. "You're no fun."

"That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago, _sir._" The Welshman said sarcastically as he went to inspect the damage done to his bed piece. It wasn't that bad, just a few spots of blood and a small dent. Now Jack could no longer say he wasn't hardheaded.

**--Torchwood--**

"Tosh, turn off your fucking computer!" Owen's voice filled the large and spacious hub, jolting the techie out of her focus. She turned to stare at the monitor, her eyes growing wide, her fingers touching a few keys to make the annoyingly shrill beeping stop.

"Uh, guys…you may want to call Jack and Ianto."

Gwen frowned and checked the time. "Jack said no calls unless it was universe-ending."

"Well…" The uncertainty and fear in Tosh's voice caught the others attention, and they crowded around her computer.

"What is that?" Gwen asked, confused by all the strange figures floating on the screen.

Owen sighed. "Please Tosh, spare us the techno babble."

The woman nodded, her fingers already flying across the keys, trying to gather as much information as possible. "There is a _huge _time shift right over Ianto's flat, only…."

"What is it, Tosh?" Gwen stressed, already dialing Jack's number. No answer.

"It looks like a time shift, but the numbers are a little off. Remember when Jack and I jumped through the one at the hotel? That went back in time. This one, if my calculations are correct….is going through dimensions."

"So what you're telling me is Jack and Ianto are getting sucked through into another dimension?" Owen asked.

"Basically." Tosh answered, slumping in her seat. They all exchanged a look.

"Shotgun!" Yelled Gwen as all three of them jumped out of their seats, racing for the car.

**--Leverage--**

"I'm bored." Parker stated yet _another_ time within the past five minutes. Groans and sighs passed through the room, none of the others having the patience or the energy to reply.

It had been a rough few days. What looked like a simple in-and-out con was now stretched into a two to three week affair, and they were all drained. As always, mistakes had been made; turns out that the mark had been a lot smarter than they originally thought. That, and another wild card had made its way into the game.

Turns out that the mark had a daughter that chose now of all times to decide to spend a few weeks with daddy. And the heirloom necklace that they had been hired to steal back was a present from the mark to his daughter, a necklace that the girl only took off when she went to bed. Of course, they had tried to break into the house at night and take the jewelry, a strategy that they had epically failed at.

So they were back to square one, trying to figure out what to do. The mark knew all of their faces, and although he hadn't figured out the game just yet, they were on rocky ground. What the team needed was some new faces, which they weren't going to get stranded in Cardiff.

"We could take out a few security an' I could get myself hired." That was Eliot, who was leaning back against the large two-seater couch, his arms stretched out. One was empty, the other holding a half-empty beer, not his first.

"Yeah, and wait for a few _years_ so they will trust you long enough to give them the plans." Came Hardison's snippy reply, earning a rude gesture from the hitter.

"Hey!" Nate yelled, already pushed to his limit and eyeing Eliot's beer with an almost hungry look in his eyes. It was times like these that reminded him _why_ he became a drunk in the first place.

"Look, fighting isn't going to help." Sophie's calm voice tried to soothe everyone. The grifter had somehow remained neutral in the whole affair, not getting outwardly annoyed or even angry at their situation. "There's got to be a way to get this guy. We just have to think of it."

"_I_ have to think of it." Nate corrected her, getting a look that bordered ugly.

Hardison sighed and stood up, stretching. "I don't know about ya'll, but I gotta pee."

With that declaration made, the hacker stood up and walked in the direction of the bathroom. The flat they were currently staying in was a small one, with two bedrooms and one bath. The group had rented this apartment and the one across the hall, which was only slightly bigger. A hotel room would have been a hinder to their con, and the places had been vacant so long that the landowner had given them a great deal.

"I wanna go home." Parker whined. "Everyone here talks funny."

More sighs.

Then, the lights flickered, and for a fraction of a second, the room was bathed in darkness. "Whoa, anyone else see that?" Sophie asked, sitting up straight in her chair.

"Yeah, strange." Nate said, his eyes flickering to Hardison's open computer. The screen was fuzzy, and there were several bars running through it. Looked like it might have crashed or something, the man thought. Great, more whining. Then, he realized that Hardison had been gone for a substantial amount of time. "Eliot, go check on Hardison."

"Seriously man?" The hitter asked, a look of disturbance and shock crossing his face.

"I'll go!" Parker offered, bouncing up from her position on the armrest of the two-seater. Happy to be given a task, she set off in the direction of the bedroom.

Silence, then a very loud and (mostly) manly scream came from the direction the thief had just gone, following by several thwacking sounds and a few yelps. Parker ran back into the living room, her face red and eyes wide, the converse she had previously been wearing in her hand.

"There are two men in the bedroom!" She squeaked. "One's half naked!"

Eliot, always the first to respond, jumped up from the couch and sat his beer down before entering the bedroom, fists clenched. Seconds later he returned, pushing two rather confused looking men into the room in front of him. One wore what looked like an incomplete suit, the dress shirt being only half button and tucked into a nice pair of pants. The other man was without a shirt and had suspenders on, holding up his pants. Both of them were without socks or shoes, and had very disheveled hair. The shirtless one had some almost-dried blood on his forehead, but there was no cut or wound.

Both Sophie and Parker's head tilted slightly as they gazed in curiosity at the rather good-looking men. Nate frowned, the tips of his mouth turning down, his arms crossing as he tried to figure them out. "Who are you, what are you doing in the bedroom? Where's Hardison?"

"What?" The one in the suit sputtered, his face red. The other just held this cocky grin, his eyes roaming over all three of the people in front of him.

Behind them, Eliot growled and poked their backs, annoyed and worried for his friend.

"Easy tiger." The shirtless one said suggestively, earning another growl. His smile grew even larger. "Captain Jack Harkness, at your service. And I do mean, at your _service_."

Parker giggled and Sophie turned a slight shade of red. The one in the suit just rolled his eyes.

"Jones, Ianto Jones."

"Right, now that we're all acquainted, can you answer my questions?" Asked Nate, eyebrows raised.

Jack and Ianto exchanged looks. "This is _my_ flat, and I don't know your friend." The Welshman replied, answering the final two of Nate's questions. His accent elicited another giggle from Parker.

Eliot stepped around in front of the men, his face set in his serious mode, strong arms crossed over his chest. "Don't play games."

Jack raised his eyebrow and glanced at Ianto. "_He_ is quiet sexy." The Captain then turned to Eliot. "Love the hair, what shampoo do you use?"

The hitter growled, his hands curling into fists, as he tried not to lung at the cocky man. Ianto reached a hand out and placed it on Jack's shoulder as a warning. "Don't taunt the angry man." He whispered in a monotonous voice.

Nate stood up and placed a hand in Eliot's arm, trying to get the man to back down. The hitter, after giving Jack one last shriveling glance, backed down. "How did you get in here?"

"We seemed to have gotten stuck in a temporal time shift!" Jack exclaimed, way too excitedly.

"Again." Ianto breathed.

**--Torchwood--**

Hardison turned off the water and washed his hands on the towel provided, frowning slightly when the lights flickered. He hoped that his computer didn't react to the power surge. The man left the bathroom and flicked off the lights, to come face to face with a woman holding a _very_ large handgun.

"Woah! Woah! Woah!..._Woah._" Hardison yelled, holding his hands up in the air to show he was unarmed. Then he realized who the woman was on the other end of the gun and his hands relaxed slightly. "Gwen Cooper?"

"Oi, shut it!" She yelled, her eyes growing wide, wondering how the strange man in Ianto's flat knew her name. Not finding him a threat, Gwen held her gun with one hand –though not lowering it– as she brought her left hand away from the grip and to her ear, where a Bluetooth piece was nestled. "Tosh?"

She paused, frowning as the man's eyes became even larger. "Yeah, seems like Jack and Ianto were taken."

"Jack and Ianto!" Hardison squeaked, shutting up when Gwen shook her gun at him.

"And it gave us something in return." Gwen said, sounding a bit annoyed, as she eyed Hardison. "No nothing special."

"Hey!"

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**Hehehe, oh what fun!**

**Reviews make me type faster!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Ok, so I started this with a specific list of points that I needed to meet, and it ended up growing and suddenly doubling in size from the last chapter, sorry about the length (not that many would mind.) I hope this chapter holds up to everyone's expectations, this is mostly setting some groundwork, but don't worry, the good stuff will come soon. **

**I wanted to get this up yesterday for the premiere of Leverage season 2.5, but I was lazy. By the way. Guyliner + leather pants + long flowy hair = -faints-**

**Thanks to all of my reviewers and silent stalkers, I got a MUCH bigger response to this than I thought I would get.**

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"We seemed to have gotten stuck in a temporal time shift!" Jack exclaimed, way too excitedly.

"Again." Ianto breathed.

Silence.

"Team meeting." Nate said suddenly, giving the two men one last look before turning his back. Sophie and Parker followed him, but Eliot waited for a heartbeat, silently letting the men know that if they tried something funny, it would be the last thing they ever did.

"We obviously can't believe them." The team leader said once everyone was huddled around him, out of earshot of their new guests.

"I don't know Nate, they seem reliable." Sophie spoke up, shrugging. Nate raised his eyebrow, and made a sound in the back of his throat. He didn't agree with the woman, but she was the one who read people for a living, and if she said they were genuine, the two men at least should have a chance to explain themselves.

The man nodded his head, eliciting a surprised sound from Eliot. "Give me five minutes, I'll get the truth."

Nate shook his head, putting up a finger to stop the hitter. "We let them explain themselves, then make decisions. Agreed?"

Sophie nodded immediately before glancing over at the men. Eliot frowned to broadcast his disagreement in the plan, but nodded all the same. Parker smirked, continuing to sneak glances at the younger of the two outsiders. "He's cute."

"Parker!" Sophie scolded, but the way she said it meant just the opposite.

Meanwhile, Jack and Ianto were having a conversation of their own.

"What do we tell them?" Ianto whispered, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, the gesture he normally partakes in when nervous or out of his comfort zone.

Jack shrugged, crossing his arms on his bare chest, his fingers hooking around his elbows. "The truth. How else can we explain their missing friend and our timely appearance."

Ianto sighed and took his hand out of his pocket long enough to run a hand through his already messy hair. He didn't like the situation at all. "Can we trust them?"

"Doesn't matter." Jack stated, his hand digging into the pocket of his pants. It withdrew several seconds later, a few small white pills coming with it.

Ianto raised his eyebrow. "You carry Retcon in your pants?"

Jack smirked. "Never know when you need it."

The couple turned as the Leverage group finished their conversation, and once again the two parties were met with uncomfortable silence. Nate stepped up to break it, feeling the need for answers. "Ok, tell us what's going on."

Jack nodded and walked over to the two-person couch, Ianto following diligently behind. They sat next to each other, causing the other four to find seats as well. Jack leaned back and stretched his arms across the back of the sofa, one of his hands resting nonchalantly on Ianto's shoulder. Sophie noticed this and filed that information away for later.

"Well, Ianto and I were _Weevil Hunting_…"

**--Torchwood--**

"Oh. My. God. It looks _just_ like the Torchwood SUV!" Hardison squealed from the backseat, where his hands were cuffed to the seatbelt. He leaned over to try and look at the screen that Tosh was typing furiously on. The woman frowned and re-adjusted the monitor so that he couldn't peek. Giving up on the screen, the man just stared at the techie, then shifting his gaze to Owen and Gwen in the front seat and back again.

The two exchanged a strange look and Owen turned around, stun gun in hand. "Shut it."

Hardison's eyes grew wide. "_Just_ like the show! Have you died yet?"

Owen growled and went to smack the strange man upside the head, but Gwen stopped him. "Quite it Owen." She snapped.

"Are you taking me to the hub?" Hardison questioned, literally bouncing in his seat.

Another look was exchanged.

**--Leverage--**

Sophie, Parker, Nate, and Eliot were flabbergasted after hearing the story that the two strange men had to tell them. There were lots of breaks in the story-telling, including Ianto excusing himself to get a towel for Jack to clean the blood off his face –another gesture noted by the grifter– and Eliot grudgingly leaving the flat to enter the other apartment, intent on finding his least-favorite shirt for Jack to borrow so the man would no longer be half-naked (to the deep despair of Parker and Sophie, and the utmost relief to Eliot). No one had said a word when Jack was speaking, but now the doubts came clear.

"You're bullshittin' us, there's no such things as aliens." Eliot said, leaning back against the back of his chair, arms crossed in a defensive stance.

"Well, probably not in _this_ dimension." Jack stated calmly.

"How are we supposed to believe that you come from another _dimension_, and that Hardison was taken to yours. That kind of stuff only happens in sci-fi movies." Sophie stated, still slightly in shock by the story. The information was out-there crazy, but the genuine way that the Captain told it was very persuasive.

"Don't have to believe it." Ianto stated, finally speaking up. "You just have to trust that we had no control over what happened, and that your friend is safe."

"How do you know?" Nate asked skeptically.

Jack smirked. "I have a team that probably have already intercepted him. Don't worry, he's in great hands."

The faces that met the Captain were still non-believing, but seemed a little more at ease. Jack smirked and tugged slightly at the shirt he was wearing. It was a good fit, but didn't go very well with his dark blue trousers and grey braces. He shot a look at Ianto to make sure he was holding up, but the young made, as always, had that indifferent mask up.

"Your turn." Jack said, nodding to Nate.

The mastermind sighed, but nodded. He wasn't sure about the two, but there was something trusting about them. "Nathan Ford, and this is Sophie Devereaux, Parker, and Eliot Spencer. We're ex-conmen who help those who need a little leverage."

Jack's face burst into a large grin. "Ah, con men. It all makes sense. Lets see, beautiful grifter, stunning thief, hunky muscle, and brainy mastermind." The man pointed to each character in turn, gaining small looks of shock.

"How'd you know?" Parker asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Takes one to know one." Jack said with a shrug, earning a strange look from Ianto.

"And I'm guessing your hacker is the friend on the other side of the rift?"

Several nods.

Ianto pointed to the laptop that was sitting on the table, open, the blank screen staring off at the wall. "May I?"

Nate gestured at the device and the Welshman picked it up, typing a few things to get the screen to come back to life. Nate raised his eyebrow at this. "Handy with the computer?"

Ianto gave a small smile and nodded, his fingers at work. "A bit."

Nate glanced at Sophie, a brilliant idea forming in his head. He had temporarily lost a hacker, but in return gained an ex-con and a man who knew 'a bit' about computers. The grifter gave a knowing smile to the mastermind, she could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Well, I guess you two can have the bedroom you came from, just in case your story is true and that rift thing is still working."

Ianto glanced up from where he was working. "We can stay?"

Sophie looked to Nate, who nodded. "Can't exactly kick you out of your own home."

Eliot growled, turning heads. "I'm sleeping over here then, I don't trust them."

Jack grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I think there's room in the bed for one more, what do you think Yan?"

The Welshman ignored the comment.

"Ok," Nate spoke up before the hitter said something nasty in return. "Eliot, you can take the couch; Parker, the spare bedroom. Jack, Ianto, you can have the master. Sophie, you'll sleep in the other apartment with me."

He stood up. "I'll see everyone in the morning, when we'll work out what to do."

The mastermind and grifter left, leaving the other four to themselves. Parker stayed for a few moments until growing bored, and ventured back into her bedroom to prepare for sleep. Eliot disappeared only long enough to grab his night things before returning, throwing two stacks of clothes; one to Jack, the other to Ianto. "Here, Sophie said she'd take ya shoppin' in the mornin'."

"Thanks cowboy." Jack said, holding up the clothes. A t-shirt and a pair of old workout shorts that looked to be just the hitters size, and smelled faintly of the man.

Jack got an annoyed grunt before the hitter disappeared into the main bedroom, intent on using the bathroom before either of the guests decided to use it.

Ianto looked up from his spot on the computer to glance at his 'new' clothes. It was the same as Jack's, obviously from the hitters supply. "You should let up."

"Why?" Jack asked, standing up and stretching. Even though it had been before morning before they came through the rift, the hours they had lost seemed to have taken a toll on both of them. Even Ianto's eyelids were growing heavy. "Find anything useful?"

Ianto shook his head. "Nothing other than what we already know. Same year, even the same date. I think you're right, we jumped dimensions, not time."

Jack nodded. "Go get ready for bed, I'll take over."

Ianto reluctantly handed Jack the laptop before standing up, grabbing the nightclothes. The Welshman walked into the bedroom, passing the hitter.

"Um, Eliot?" Ianto said, slightly timidly. Jack may not take the man seriously, but Ianto surely did. There was a deadly air that hung around the man.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

This caused the hitter to turn, his head cocked sideways. "What for?"

Ianto shrugged. "Jack, the whole situation, really."

Eliot paused a moment longer before leaving. He didn't say anything else, but Ianto didn't expect him to. The words that needed to be said had been spoken, and the Welshman was pretty sure that the hitter understood.

Eliot entered the living room, throwing the extra pillows off of the couch in a silent sign to show Jack that he was ready to go to sleep. Jack, however, wasn't paying attention, for he had been distracted by something else.

Unable to get any information the hard way, Jack had decided to take a more civilian approach and google his and Ianto's name. What he found terrified him. In this dimension, Torchwood was a television show by some BBC writer. Each and every one of his team mates were in the show, and the episodes were all things that they had gone through, right down to the words they had said. Up to a point, of course. Jack was swiftly reading through the synopsis' of the episodes, and his heart was growing heavier with every word. Owen. Tosh. Gray. John. It was all swimming around his head. But the thing that shocked him the most was what happened next.

The 456.

Ianto.

Dead.

"No…" Jack breathed, tears springing to his eyes. He thought about the young man in the bedroom, getting ready for sleep. He was so young, and Jack wasn't ready for him to die yet. He knew that it was breaking some monumental code, to learn about what your future held, but Jack had to do it. He had to find out exactly how Ianto died; if only to prevent it.

"Hey!" Eliot's voice shocked Jack out of his trance. The Captain hurriedly wiped his eyes and turned, closing the laptop.

"Sorry, I'm leaving." Jack stood up and left the room, a deathlike grip on the laptop. Eliot frowned, sensing something was wrong from the sole fact that there wasn't a suggestive word in the sentence. The man just shrugged and hopped on the couch, it wasn't his problem.

Ianto finished changing and stared in the mirror, a ragged version of himself glancing back. He looked horrible, his hair all over the place, his face pale with unaccountable exhaustion. Plus, he looked ridiculous in the hitter's clothes. Where they were a comfortable fit on Jack, they hung off of Ianto. The man sighed and exited the bathroom. The bedroom looked just like the one back in his home dimension, only different. There were small things that weren't the same, like the position of the nightstand, or the clothes hanging in the closet. Ianto sighed and closed his eyes, imagining he was back in _his_ flat. He wouldn't, however, allow himself to think about getting back, because he knew what they had to go through last time, and he also knew how slim a chance they had for the rift to re-open on its own. They may be stuck in this strange dimension _forever_.

Jack entered the room at that moment, a laptop gripped tightly in his hands. Ianto gave a small smile, the grin disappearing from his face when he saw the look Jack gave him. The Captain threw the laptop only the bed and grabbed both sides of the younger man's face, pulling him into a fierce and passionate kiss. He withdrew before Ianto was able to react, and pulled the man in close, hugging him tightly as he buried his face into the man's shoulder. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." Ianto whispered, gripping the man back. The Welshman was confused, but at the same time, his heart soared at those words.

No one out of the six slept peacefully that night.

**--Torchwood--**

Hardison stood stock still, staring in at the creature that paced behind the glass. Every few seconds it would pause in its never-ending quest and stare right through the man, releasing a throaty growl before going back to its pacing. Gwen, standing off to the side of the man, smiled, finally glad she found something that would shut him up.

"Janet!" The man yelled suddenly, turning to face the now frowning Gwen. "I can't believe it! Weevils are real! And this place….it's freakin' awesome!"

"Are you bloody _serious?!_" Gwen yelled, fed up with the man. Owen had stalked away as soon as they got out of the car, and even Tosh was ready to get away from the new guy as soon as possible. Even Gwen, the designated nice one of the team, was tired of hearing his constant babble, it was like he was star-struck or something.

Hardison, however, didn't notice the way the team was constantly trying to ignore him. He was too absorbed in the whole fact that Torchwood was, indeed, real. At least, in some version of reality.

"This is…." The hacker drifted off, unable to come up with a word that said what he was feeling.

Gwen was spared from having to converse with the man because at that moment, the alarm in the hub went off. The rift was active. Silently thanking whatever it was that decided to attack Cardiff, Gwen typed something into the pad next to an empty cell then pushed Hardison into it, sealing him inside before disappearing.

"Hey! Gwen! Come back!" Hardison yelled against the glass. He knew what that alarm meant, and he also knew what it meant to be kept in a Torchwood cell. He was going to have _a lot_ of alone time.

He looked sideways, able to see Janet's nose peeking out from the cell next door. "Wazzup?"

**--Leverage--**

He awoke to the smell of coffee. A shallow smile drifted onto his lips and he rolled onto his side, flinging his arm onto the other side of the bed, expecting to come in contact with the warm skin of his partner. Instead, he was met with the cool comfort of sheets. It made sense, Jack thought. Ianto was probably just getting dressed, or –the more he thought about it, the more it made sense– making coffee, hence the smell.

Then what was the weight on the edge of the bed?

Jack's eyes opened slowly, blinking several times to dislodge and sleep still there. He felt well rested and reached for his wrist strap, determined to find the time. His fingers pressed where he knew the button was, but his digits only succeeded in pressing into his flesh. His eyes still only slightly functional, Jack's fingers continued to roam over his wrist, grasping for the wrist strap that he knew was gone. Faced with a potentially dangerous situation, Jack forced himself to sit up, placing his arms behind him to act as support beams. He saw a room that looked _almost_ like Ianto's, and a blonde woman sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, staring intently at him while absentmindedly fiddling with his wrist strap.

"Hi." She said, tilting her head sideways, like a scientist studying her victim.

"Hi." Jack returned, smirking as he raised a hand to give her a small wave. "Not that I'm opposed to waking up with a beautiful woman in my bed, but…what are you doing with my wrist strap?"

Her eyes glinted mischievously. "I stole it."

"I see that." Jack replied.

Parker watched him curiously, her fingers hovering over the buttons, her smile growing wide as she watched him flinch.

"Don't touch that!" Jack threatened, any grogginess or playfulness that was previously in his voice gone. The thief raised her eyebrow before throwing the wrist strap back at the Captain, but not before pressing a random button or two. Jack caught the device and quickly returned it to its original position, not noticing Parker's meddling.

Now, deprived of her toy, the thief bounced off the bed. "Your boyfriend made coffee." She stated out of the blue before heading out of the room.

"He's not…" Jack started, but she was already gone.

**--Torchwood--**

Hardison had lost track of how long he had been down in his cage. From the sound of things, the team had gone home a while ago, leaving him and Janet to themselves. Speaking of the beast, the thing wouldn't shut up. A groan or pathetic growl would come from the creature at irregular intervals, taking away any peace that the hacker had hoped to have.

At first Hardison had tried to pick the mechanical lock. Of course, that was more up Parker's alley, and it was a lot harder when you were the one on the inside. After that, he resorted to giving half-hearted punches and kicks at the door, which proved useless as well. After wards, he just sat on the concrete bench, staring at the door, trying to figure out what he was going to do when they brought him food in the morning. This was _not_ the way he imagined meeting the Torchwood team. Where were Jack and Ianto anyway?

"Shut up!" Hardison yelled at the Weevil as it made another scream, slamming his hand into the cement wall to accent his annoyance. At the exact moment his skin came in contact with the wall, the door hissed opened slightly. The hacker glanced at his hand in amazement before pulling it away as if it was on fire. He waited a few seconds, to see if anyone would enter. After no one came through, he tip-toed to the door, pulling it open just enough to stick his head through. He looked left and right, then sneaked out of his cage and into the hub, sticking his tongue out at Janet as he walked past. Time to have some _real_ fun.

**--Torchwood--**

"Mornin' Jack." Ianto called out nonchalantly as the Captain walked out of the bedroom and into society. He was still wearing the clothes given to him for bed, but his hair was wet from signs of a shower and his eyes were bright and awake.

The man gave a smile and a soft 'good morning' before sitting down in the large, fluffy chair that he always claimed as his own when coming over to Ianto's place. He was glad that it was still there in this dimension, it was very comfy. He watched as Ianto got up from his position on the floor, disappearing into the kitchen, where the smell of that wonderful coffee was emanating from. The Welshman had been working on a laptop, and for a moment Jack's heart skipped a beat and he shot a worried glance toward the kitchen. Had the younger man seen what Jack had seen?

A cough came from the love seat, causing Jack to look up in surprise. Eliot was sitting there, spread out on the couch, coffee in one hand, and book in the other. A pair of reading glasses framed his eyes and Jack gave a soft smile, he looked so cute, with his hair falling in his face. The hitter glanced up, being jolted out of his book by the sense of something watching him. Jack and Eliot held eye contact long enough for the moment o be called awkward. Then, the gruff man frowned and went back to his literature.

Jack raised his eyebrow at this and was determined that by the end of his stay, he would at least kiss the man. What could he say, he loved the challenge.

At that moment, Ianto came back into the room, carrying a steaming cup of hot coffee in his hand. He passed it silently to Jack before sitting back in his original position, trying to get comfortable before going back to work, his fingers making clacking sounds on the computer.

Jack took a sip and leaned back, trying not to make a face as the coffee burned its way down his throat. "What'cha working on?"

"I've been trying to hack into the programs on this computer all night…your hacker is very good, and _very_ paranoid." The second half of the conversation was directed at Eliot, who gave a snort in response, not bothering with a real answer.

"You've been up all night?" Jack asked, a bit of concern in his voice. Ianto was normally the one who slept like a rock, while Jack was the light sleeper. Seemed like their roles had been reversed.

The Welshman just shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Both men were saved from having to further the conversation by the entrance of Nate and Sophie, who had just finished making themselves look decent and were coming over to brief the team –plus newcomers– on their next move. Parker, who had heard the front door open, bounced in as well, sitting next to Eliot on the couch. The hitter marked his page and slipped the book under the seat pillow before sitting up and taking off his glasses.

"How's it coming Ianto?" Nate asked, nodding to the man.

"The technology your hacker has is advanced…but he's also very paranoid. I can't get through any of his passwords."

"Here." Parker stated, holding her hands out for the computer. Nate raised his eyebrow, watching as Ianto handed the laptop over to the thief. She typed a few keys, then handed it back, unlocked.

"How…" Nate started, then shook his head. "I don't want to know."

The thief just smiled.

"Ok," The mastermind stated, clapping his hands together. "I talked to Sophie last night, and I've figured out how to get our heirloom back. I just need to know if you two will help." He gestured toward Jack and Ianto.

The two exchanged a silent look, then the Captain slowly nodded his head, a large smile blooming on his face. "Might as well have some fun."

Nate gave a smile, then turned all business. They had a lot to do in a short amount of time if they were to keep the mark on the hook. "Sophie, I want you to get some clothes for Jack and Ianto before Eliot runs out. Parker, I need the mark's itinerary, we don't have Hardison, so we're going to have to do most of the recon by hand. Eliot, I need you to make sure Jack can defend himself in case the need arises."

He nodded as he spoke, mentally checking off his list. Satisfied, he stood up and exited the room.

"Does he always do that?" Jack asked?

"Yeah." Sophie commented, already standing up and reaching for her bag, never one to drag when shopping was needed.

Jack smirked, tilting his head sideways before taking a sip of his coffee. "It works for him."

* * *

**And so, you have Jack and Eliot sparring (come on, _had_ to do it), Sophie and Ianto shopping, Hardison hacking, and lots of laughs in the future. ^_^**

**Lots of reviews makes me happy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: And here we go again. ^_^ Thanks to my reviewers and silents stalkers, ya'll are awesome! Just as I promised, shopping, fighting, hacking, and snogging. Enjoy.**

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The mall was crowded for a work-day, hundreds of feet walking up and down the large isles, heads popping into stores, followed by the rest of their bodies. Bags bumping into people, people bumping into bags. For Sophie, it was heaven. For Ianto, not so much.

"And I though aliens were rude." The man mumbled under his breath as yet another passerby managed to run straight into him. Sophie giggled at the young man, swinging the small bag that she had already collected by her side.

"Come on Ianto, loosen up. _This_ is where people show their true sides, it's a place where someone can come to express themselves!"

"…It's a _mall._" Ianto deadpanned. Sophie just gave another light chuckle and walked along, the young man following slightly behind her. He had wanted to wear the remains of his suit, but Sophie had hastily declined. She told him that if he wanted to come shopping with her, he had to at least wear a complete outfit. The man shot back that he didn't really want to go shopping with her, but that he didn't have a choice since Jack was going with Eliot for a quick course in beating the shit out of someone without making a noise.

Don't get the man wrong, he loved to go shopping. But he liked to go during workdays, really early, right when the shops opened. The mall that he would go to was very quiet during those times, and the cashiers and clothes assistants were normally fresh hyped on coffee and quiet friendly. He was never rushed or harried by other customers, and didn't get the evil eye when asking if the clothing he was buying was washer friendly, or came in a color that wouldn't show a blood stain.

Sophie had raided Eliot's closet –for some reason, Nate's clothes were too big, and Hardison's too small, but Eliot's were _just_ right– and found a pair of clean jeans and a t-shirt that didn't hang off of the small man's build. He was given a pair of Nate's flip flops and a few of Eliot's bracelets –although the hitter protested when that particular word was used– and Ianto was literally prying Jack off of him in order to leave the apartment. And that was only after promising Jack that he would buy himself a pair of snug-fitting jeans that he would later wear for him.

"So, what am I looking for, exactly?" Ianto asked, deciding to focus on the task at hand instead of the unruly mob that was surrounding him.

"Nate said you'd both need some clothes you'll wear around the apartment so Eliot can have his back, along with something to sleep in. He wants Jack to have a tux, and you a suit, preferably something that would catch an investors eyes."

"Well, Jack always said I looked good in red." Ianto said dryly, his eyes scanning the windows of the individual shops. In his mind he was making a mental list, he had learned to do that when he started to work for Torchwood. Some things you can't write down.

Sophie gave a small smile, then pulled Ianto into a store that sold men's jeans and shirts. Surprisingly, there was a small amount of customers, and the store was generally quiet, save the teenage music softly coming from the speakers. "Nathan also wanted me to fill you in on what we are going to do."

"You mean gage my reaction to make sure I'm on board." Ianto nonchalantly started to look through a rack of jeans that were the Captain's size. Sophie gave Ianto a surprised look, and the Welshman noticed. "I figure that's why Jack is now fighting with Eliot as well. The best way for a fighter to learn about his opponent is through, well, fighting."

"How…" Sophie stuttered.

Ianto just shrugged, pulling a pair of faded jeans from the rack and holding them up, mentally trying them on for Jack. "I know everything."

Sophie raised her eyebrow, but smiled all the same. She liked the man. "The mark, Grigori Haulms, is a high risk, high returns investor, only, it isn't much risk. He fixes the stock market. Our clients were innocent enough to invest their life savings in one of his projects, which he 'bankrupted' and kept all the money and acquisitioned anything else of value from his customers."

"The necklace." Ianto filled in, nodding. It made sense.

"Yes. Nate and I were going to get it back simply by getting him to invest in the latest thing, me and my 'artwork.' Didn't go very well, he turned us down at the last moment, having a better deal come along. We tried to steal the diamond, but it turned out he gave it to his 24 year old daughter as a gift." Sophie paused, a sales associate asking them if they needed any help. Ianto handed her a pair of jeans and asked for the same size in several different styles. The woman nodded and hustled off to meet his demand. Sophie continued.

"Now, Nate is going to approach Grigori with another offer, this time one he can't refuse. You." She said it with gusto, as if he had something important to offer to the world.

"Me?" Ianto asked, a bit surprised. "What exactly about me?"

"The future of coffee!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly, getting a look from a close by customer. "Nate had one sip of your coffee and was hooked. Grigori is also a huge coffee addict."

Ianto shrugged, helpless but to follow along. He had been involved with aliens for so long that he wasn't sure how to deal with human targets anymore. It was the grifter's job, to influence people, so he nodded. "So what does Jack need a tux for?"

Now, Sophie didn't look as happy. "He and Eliot are going to be getting the necklace back."

"You mean seduce the daughter." Ianto said, reading between the lines. Sophie hesitated, then nodded.

"Jack's going to play young, rich playboy, while Eliot's his more down to earth friend. Covering the two major personality basics." Sophie said, "She's bound to go home with one of them."

Ianto nodded, picking up a pair of jeans that looked to be the right size. There were a few rips and tears in them, along with bleached spots. Not exactly what he liked, but he grabbed them anyway, along with a pair of dark ones the same size.

"Are you ok with that?" Sophie asked, eyeing the jeans that the man picked up, silently wondering whether they were his or Jack's, and mentally chiding herself for hoping it was the later.

Ianto took a few heartbeats to think of an answer. "It doesn't matter, does it?"

Sophie laughed. "I guess not, but I can understand if you wouldn't want to watch…"

It was Ianto's turn to laugh. "Watch what? Jack flirting with someone else? Or taking another person home to shag?" He shook his head. "Jack isn't an exclusive package. He's more of a 'take what's available and hope it's enough' kind of person."

Then Ianto walked into the men's changing room, stopping any more digging questions from the grifter.

**--Torchwood--**

The team was on their way to yet another Weevil sighting. The things decided to pop up all over the place. They had already taken care of two of them, not to mention the other, unidentified growling object that had been located in the middle of a shopping mall.

They were almost at their destination when Tosh's PDA began to peep. Her brow furrowing, she quickly typed some stuff into her computer and pulled up the information on the hub computers, her eyes scanning the information. "Guys," she said, lots of worry in her voice. "Someone just hacked the hub."

"Sure it isn't Jack and Ianto?" Asked Gwen, false hope always filling her voice.

Toshiko shook her head. "No, they would have used their passwords. It is definitely not them."

"Tosh," Owen said, focusing on the road, but never one to miss an opportunity for snark. "I thought you said the hub was unhackable?"

"It is." She replied, her fingers now furiously busy.

Then, the Torchwood SUV just stopped.

The lights cut out, the engine stalled, and the vehicle gently glided to the edge of the road, where it neatly applied the breaks, then shut down. The computers in the back crashed, the doors automatically locked themselves, and the cell phone service in the car suddenly became non-existent. Then, Tosh's cell phone rang and she answered it, putting it on speaker phone. "Hello?"

"Hey guys, it's me." Came Hardison's voice through the speaker, sounding _way_ too smug for his own good. Owen rolled his eyes.

Tosh ignored the voice for the second, furious at being hacked. She clicked a few buttons, and the computers rebooted, along with the car.

A few seconds later, both shut off again. "Seriously? We can play that game, I got all night baby."

**--Leverage--**

"You ever fight before?" Eliot asked as the two men changed into something more practical for sparring. They were in the men's locker room located in a small, family owned gym that was only about a block and a half away from the apartments. They had walked, seeing that they only had two cars and a motorcycle; Sophie and Ianto were using one, while Parker took the other, and Eliot really didn't feel like having Jack hugging him on the back of the motorcycle.

"Tons, though I prefer guns." Jack said with a smirk, as he pulled on the shorts the hitter had let him borrow.

"Don't like guns." Eliot replied, wrapping his fingers with tape, a tradition he took part in before sparring.

"Pity." The way Jack responded made Eliot think that Jack wasn't talking about guns in a literal sense.

They finished getting changed in peace, then left the locker room and went toward the back of the gym, where there was a secluded room that had a mat on the floor along with some punching bags. It was reserved for private lessons, and Eliot had rented it out a few occasions before during their stay; the manager was more than happy to let him use it.

"Ya need ta take that off." Eliot said, gesturing to Jack's vortex manipulator, which he still has strapped to his wrist. The Captain opened his mouth as if to complain, but thought the better of it, and removed the wrist strap, setting it gently on top of one of the punching bags.

Now that both of the men were prepared, Eliot held up his hands and started to circle the mat. Jack did the same. The Captain was a little confused as to why the mastermind had wanted him to go with Eliot to fight, but didn't say anything about it. It was obvious that the man knew what he was doing, and a little alone time with the hot muscle wasn't going to hurt anyone…at least, not to much.

Eliot, noticing that Jack was a little sidetracked, lunged, pulling his jab centimeters away from his opponents face. Jack flinched and tried to duck, but was a little slow. "Pay attention."

Jack smirked, but the play from his face was gone. He was serious.

They rounded the mat several more times before Jack made his move, kicking at Eliot, followed by a jab and a strong punch. The hitter sidestepped the kick and easily pared both blows, getting a little suspicious. He could tell that the other man wasn't putting his all into it, and was getting a bit paranoid. It was like he was playing with him.

Annoyed, Eliot decided to put the Captain in his place, faking a kick, then closing the distance between them with a punch. Jack dodged the kick and used the side of his arm to block the punch, leaving his chest open. Eliot saw it and attacked, jabbing at Jack's chest. The jab made contact, and the Captain momentarily lost his footing. Eliot bent low and swept Jack's feet out from under him, expecting the man to fall. What he didn't expect was the hand that grabbed the front of his shirt, bringing him down as well.

Two large thuds were heard as Jack's body hit the mat, followed by Eliot landing on Jack. The hitter resumed the alpha position, pinning both of Jack's legs with his feet and Jack's arm with his hands. Both men's limbs all being used, they lay there, slightly out of breath from the fall. "Thought you said ya could fight?"

"I can." Jack said, smirking.

Eliot frowned, caught off guard by the smugness in the man's voice. An erotic smell filled his nose, and the hitter found himself loosening his grip on Jack as his eyes started to unfocus.

"What…is…that?" Eliot asked, his panting now no longer having to do with being winded. Jack laughed and took advantage of the situation, rolling over so that he was now on top. He secured the hitter in the same way that he had been secured, and leaned down, whispering in Eliot's ear.

"51st century pheromones." Jack's lips brushed Eliot's ear as he talked, and he smiled as he felt the man shake a little under him. God, how he loved being born in the 51st century.

The smell overwhelming the hitter, he reacted to what his body wanted, and mashed hit lips onto the Captain's. Jack was a bit surprised, but didn't take long to respond. The hitter thrust his tongue into Jack's mouth, and they fought for dominance. The Captain moaned into Eliot's mouth, not doing anything to stop the hitter from slipping his hands under his shirt.

Jack's mouth still attached to Eliot's, he started to pull his shirt off, relinquishing his lips only long enough to pull the fabric over his head. The hitter growled and leaned up, not wanting Jack to stop kissing him. Smirking, the Captain complied, their tongues once more meeting. Eliot's hands roaming his skin, Jack started to get really hot, and his hands tugged at Eliot's boxing shorts, trying to tear them off the man.

It was then that Eliot's brain caught up with the rest of his body. Realizing _exactly_ what he was doing, the hitter panicked and pushed Jack off of him, scrambling to his feet, his hands desperately wiping at his mouth. Eliot walked backwards until his back hit the wall, still breathing hard, rubbing at his nose frantically to get the smell of _Jack_ out of his head. "What the _hell_ did ya do ta me!"

Jack laughed and sat up, hands on his hips, a large smile on his face. "From where I was being groped, I didn't have enough _time_ to do anything to you."

Eliot ran his hand through his long hair, staring at the ground, the walls, the punching bag, anything but the man in front of him. "You…you _touch_ me again…I'll break your neck."

Jack smirked and leaned over, picking up his shirt off the ground. "Looking forward to it."

Then he waltzed out the door, shirt thrown over his back. The Captain paused at the doorway and turned, giving Eliot the once over. "You weren't half bad, by the way."

He quickly left, noticing that the hitter had picked up and was aiming a weight at him.

**--Torchwood--**

"Now _I_ have control of the car."

"No, now I have control of the car, _and_ the hub's ventilation system."

"_No_, I have the car…the ventilation…and look! You're cell phones!"

Gwen and Owen sat in the front seat of the car, sending strange looks at each other. This little hacking battle between Tosh and their strange newcomer had been going on for about half an hour. Of course, none of them knew the exact time, for they normally relied on their phones, which would flicker on, then shut off again in a matter of seconds. This was a battle of the geeks, and neither of them qualified.

"Oh no you don't." Tosh muttered to herself, her fingers flying faster than they had ever flown before. This guy was good, _scary_ good, but she was better. "Now I have the car, the hub emergency system –you're locked in, by the way– and I opened Janet's cage."

Now it was Tosh's turn to gain the smug look as the car came back to life. Owen didn't even bother to drive, seeing that this same cycle had happen at least four times already. Gwen was digging around in the glove compartment to see if they had any playing cards.

"Oh yeah? Well….wait, what?" A growl sounded through the speakers, followed by an unmanly shriek.

**--Leverage--**

Ianto was in the room assigned to him and Jack, putting away their clothes in their respective places. Underwear went into the top drawer, socks in the one below it. Dress shirts were hung up near the suits they would go the best with, while jeans and t-shirts were folded and placed in the remaining drawers. Tuxedos stayed in the wrapping, hung up next to the ironing board. When Ianto was done, if he stared at the closet, he could honestly imagine himself back at home, in _his_ apartment, putting away clothes paid for out of _his_ salary –which was something he needed to speak to Nathan about.

He turned as he heard someone enter the room, not surprised in the least that that person happened to be Jack. "How'd it go?"

The other man shrugged and sat on the bed, searching through the items that Ianto had yet put away. "We got to know each other better."

Ianto, without having to turn around, knew the man was smiling, and gave a long sigh. "You didn't."

"Hey, for the record, _he_ jumped _me._"

"Jack!" Ianto reprimanded, nodding to himself, giving the closet a once over before giving it his mental seal of approval.

The man shrugged and grinned as he came upon the last two items in one of the bags. "Why two boxes?"

Ianto visibly blushed and snatched the items away from Jack. "One for us, and one for Eliot. I was putting his clothes away and noticed he was running low."

Jack snorted and shook his head, standing up and reaching into one of the drawers, pulling out a set of clothes that were for him. Once a tea boy, always a tea boy.

"Why are you so quiet?" Parker asked Eliot as she sat upside down on the couch, staring at the television screen.

"Why are you so strange." Eliot shot back, playing with Jack's vortex manipulator, which he had left at the gym after making a hasty retreat. It was a strange thing, tons of buttons, and a nice leather strap. He tried it on, fit perfectly.

Parker sat upright, letting the blood rush from her face back where it was supposed to go. "Your lips are red."

"Yeah?" Eliot growled, not liking where this was going, but not having anyplace to storm off to, since Nate and Sophie were in the other apartment, pulling together the last minute details for tonight. He took off Jack's wrist strap and set in on the coffee table.

Then Parker's eyes widened as she glanced at the strap, then at Eliot, then at the strap again. The details clicked and she squealed. "You kissed him!" She said excitedly, bouncing on the couch.

"Parker!" Eliot yelled, clenching his fists, but not denying it. The thief wasn't stupid.

"What was it like? Was he good? How far did you get? Do you think he'd kiss girls?" Parker asked, bouncing off of the couch one second and standing next to Eliot the next.

Eliot growled and stood up, definitely deciding that now would be a good place to storm off angrily. He would go outside or something, anywhere but here at the moment. "Get'off." He muttered, pushing the thief off of him.

Then Jack entered the room, wearing a pair of jeans that were close to black, hugging his thighs, flaring out a little at the bottom. They hugged his waist, and fit in all the right places. His shirt wasn't tight, but it hugged to his body, not leaving much to either of their imaginations. The man smiled and threw a box of something to the hitter, who reflexively caught it.

"From Ianto." Jack said with a grin, before winking at Parker. The thief, realizing what they were, giggled. Eliot narrowed his eyes then stormed out of the room, almost running into Sophie. The woman backed away from the hitter then entered the room, eyeing the Captain and smiling.

"Well, Ianto sure does know how to shop." She stated. Then she registered the giddy look on Parker's face and the larger-than-life grin on the Captain's, and frowned. "What'd I miss?"

* * *

**Action -of all kinds- and adventure in the next chapter, I promise. Was going to start the con this chapter, but ran out of room, and this seemed like a good stopping point. Reviews would be wonderful!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Ugh. That's all that I can say. I've re-written this chapter at least three times, if not more, and I'm still not happy with it. However, I figure that this is the best it will be getting, so I might as well not keep it from you any longer. Again, sorry for the wait. I've been having trouble with all of my stories lately, actually. Can't seem to type what I want. Hmm. Anyway, thanks to all of my reviewers and silent stalkers, you guys are the best. Here you go!**

**(Edit: Also, me and a few authors have talked about this, and we think it would be a good idea to make twitter accounts, so that reviewers and followers can follow us on twitter to learn about updates before they happen, give input, help with writers blocks, and maybe even get short sneak peaks and one liners from upcoming chapters. Since all of you are authors as well, you can join in and tell your readers so they can follow you! Thought it would be a good idea, let me know what you think. I've already made an account, the username is the same, kausingkayn. All you have to do is type twitter dot com slash kausingkayn. If this happens to be breaking any of FanFictions ruled which I may have missed when I looked for them, please let me know.)**

* * *

The room was alive with the bright chandelier lights, the rays bouncing off of the crystals, making them sparkle with wealth. The tables were set up perfectly, dainty lace tablecloths covering the wood, with bottles of champagne and plates of food resting on top. Ice sculptures surprised you at every turn, having already caused more than one guest to jump, and then laugh at their own situation. The live band in the corner played softly, the sounds of the instruments reaching each attendee's ear.

One man, in particular, was finding the music quiet soothing. He stood, unseen, in the corner, a glass of unsipped champagne in hand, leaning his back against the wall. He was wearing a smart suit, black pinstripes adorning the jacket, waistcoat, and trousers. A crimson red silk shirt hugged his body, and a wide black – and – red tie was tucked in, the diagonal stripes contrasting the jacket. He cleared his throat and brought his drink up to his lips, as if to take a sip. Instead, he mumbled to himself. "Nate, Sophie, where did you go?"

"Sophie's on the grift, reeling him in now." Nate mumbled back before smiling widely at the random guest he was talking with. The mastermind was there more for support than anything else, allowing Sophie to take the lead in roping the mark in. He was standing off to the side, several steps away from Grigori and Sophie, and had started a conversation with someone about the unique qualities that a squirrel ice statue had to offer. Apparently, there wasn't much. "Miss Devereaux?"

"I'm working on it." She whispered, giving a slight nod toward the mark, who was speaking about…something. She wasn't sure what, hadn't really been paying attention. She was waiting for the perfect opportunity to interrupt, to tell the man about her new 'discovery.' Her dress was flattering, a blue strapless dress that cinched around the waist and fell all the way to the floor, showing off her curves gracefully. "Jack? Eliot? Killed each other yet?"

Eliot gave a growl in response before turning his attention back to the redhead he had been flirting with. Their actual mark hadn't shown up yet, and the hitter was nothing if not efficient. He was wearing a simple suit, something that Ianto had picked out when he and Sophie had gone shopping. The outfit consisted of a pair of black slacks, a black jacket, and a white dress shirt with a wide black tie. It accented the hitter's broad shoulders, and didn't hide his body. The man had forgone the straight iron, instead pulling his hair back, topping off the ensemble with his wire rim glasses. The redhead giggled at something that Eliot said, and the man took that moment to brush his hand over her bare arm, causing her to giggle again. Good reaction. "So, sweetheart, what are you doin' at a borin' place like this?"

He laid on his southern accent, watching her blush slightly. He smirked to himself, and turned it into a smile when he noticed she was looking at him. "Well…"

"Baby! I leave you alone for five minutes…" Jack loudly announced himself, slinging his arm protectively around Eliot before giving the redhead a 100-watt grin. Ianto had picked out a tuxedo especially for Jack, giving him an outfit that would draw eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a black waistcoat and bow tie. His trousers and jacket were also a pure white, causing the man to be a stark contrast from all the black tuxedo's in the room. "Although, I can't really blame you." The Captain held out his free hand. "Jack Harkness."

The redhead looked too disturbed –and pissed– to be wooed by the Captain. She shot Eliot a dirty look, then stalked off, intent on finding her friends and telling them how she had just gotten hit on by a gay man. As soon as the girl was out of sight, Eliot pushed the older man away, much rougher than needed. Jack didn't mind, dropping his smile down a few notches. "I thought you were a professional." The Captain teased, grabbing two flutes of champagne from a passing tray. He offered one to Eliot, who ignored it.

"I was warmin' up." Eliot stated angrily, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Jack shrugged and downed one of the glasses and setting it on a table before slowly sipping his other. Eliot noticed this and raised his eyebrow. "Don't need ya getting' drunk."

Jack just gave a small, knowing smile. "I have a pretty good tolerance."

Eliot snorted, and was about to come back with a witty retort when Nate's voice interrupted their unfriendly conversation_. "She's here. Stop playing."_

Both men closed their mouths and turned toward the front entrance, where a young woman was arriving. She had long, wavy brown hair, and was wearing a beautiful black cocktail dress that, if Jack had to guess, was from Valentino's closet himself. It hugged to her body, and had a low neckline that showed off the dazzling necklace she wore.

"The heirloom." Eliot said.

Jack nodded, then swept his hand forward in offering. "I'll let you have the first swing."

Eliot snorted and shook his head. "You mean the _only_ swing. You ain't getting' a chance."

Jack just shrugged, and Eliot could have sworn he heard a chuckle coming through the earpiece, that sounded just like Ianto. Eliot, with the sneaking suspicion that he was about to get played, approached the daughter, who had just ordered a drink from the bartender.

"Whiskey, Jack." He stated, leaning against the white marble counter and letting out a frustrated sigh, fidgeting with his tie. He heard a short bought of laughter in his comm, and resisted the urge to bring his hand to his ear.

The woman heard him and turned around, giving a small smile. "You sound like a man who knows his whiskey."

Eliot gave a tired smile and turned toward her as well. "You sound like a woman who knows her men."

She laughed, then held out her hand. "Katie Haulms."

Eliot took it, shaking firmly then letting his grasp linger before withdrawing. "Richie Tozier."

Both of their drinks arrived, and there was a comforting silence while they both took a sip of their respective drinks. Katie had ordered a martini, and Eliot grimaced to himself. He hated those things. "So, Haulms, the daughter ta the man himself?"

Katie smiled and nodded. "How did you know I was his daughter?"

"Well, you sure couldn't be his wife. Too young fer that." Eliot let the corners of his mouth twitch up. Then, a boisterous laugh could be heard and both of their heads turned, zeroing in on Jack, who had quickly surrounded himself with several beautiful woman and their dates. Eliot couldn't tell who was enjoying the show more. He gave out a large, frustrated sigh, then cursed himself when Katie realized it.

"You know him?" she asked, her eyes not leaving the other man since they had found him. Eliot frowned.

"Yeah. Friend of mine. At least, that's what I call him. We're business partners." Eliot said, realizing now how the situation could be turned to his favor.

"Partners?" She asked.

Eliot started to nod, then changed his mind, shaking his head. "More like he runs off with some gals while I'm stuck doin' all his shit."

Katie giggled, laying her hand over Eliot's. "Well, sounds like you have a lot on your chest. Why don't you tell me about it."

Eliot nodded and followed the girl over to a more quiet corner of the room, shooting Jack a smirk as he left. The Captain was smirking right back, and Eliot got an unsettling feeling in his stomach. It didn't help that Ianto was chuckling again…

**--Torchwood--**

It took them several hours to get back to the hub; every time Owen was able to start up the car, they would only get several yards before Tosh lost control again, only to regain it moments later. Finally getting tired of the game, Owen left the SUV, slammed the door, then started to sulk back to the hub, which happened to be several miles away. After a few minutes of waiting, Gwen also got out, shooting Tosh a 'sorry' look before running to join the doctor. Finally, Tosh took everything that she needed, made sure the SUV door's were locked, and caught up with the other two. Needless to say, they were both sweating and tired beyond belief when they finally made it to the hub.

As they entered through the cog door, it was a _bit_ too quiet. After the alarm had stopped screeching, no other sounds met the team. No snarls from Janet, or sounds of anyone else in the hub. Normally, this would mean that the team wanted to turn around and come back about an hour or two later (depending on the time) so not to interrupt anything that may or may not be happening between their Captain and the Coffee boy. As it was, however, they went forward with their guns out and at the ready, worried about what they might find.

And so, their actual findings made all of them hesitate. They made it to the conference room without incident, but that was where things got a little weird. The conference room, being all glass windows, allowed them to see their guest, who was reclined back in Jack's chair, his feet on the glass tabletop, a controller in his hand. He had earphones in, directing the sound from their large plasma TV, which was currently housing a game of World of Warcraft. Janet was sitting directly outside of the glass door, apparently very into the computer game.

After getting over the initial shock, Owen retreated, coming back a few moments later with a can of Weevil spray, which he and Gwen them used to subdue Janet, and drag her back to her cell. Tosh approached the conference room and tapped on the glass with the butt of her gun. She had to hit the wall several times, but the hacker finally jumped and spun around in his chair. Realizing exactly who it was on the other side, and what she was holding, Hardison shot out of his chair and raised his hands high in the air.

Tosh rolled her eyes and gestured toward the door, which was locked. Then, she put her gun back into her purse. Hardison noticed this and hesitantly unlocked the door, letting her in. "World of Warcraft?"

Hardison smirked and turned toward his game. "Hells yeah. Glad ya still have it in this dimension. Had to start over though…" He frowned.

Tosh laughed and pulled up a seat, sitting down and laying her purse on the table, glancing at the television screen. He must of re-tasked the television to be able to run the game. How he did it, Tosh didn't know. She was sure she locked the computers from that due to Owen's attempt to task the television to do almost the same thing. She shook her head. "You're good."

Hardison shrugged, then sat back down, leaning back and resuming his game. "You're better, man. Your equipment was already hooked up, all I had to do was piggyback it. I'd suggest securing your wifi a little bit more."

Tosh raised her eyebrow, but smiled. The wifi _was_ secure. Very secure. She got up and walked to the television screen, where she had seen another controller. Sitting back down, she logged onto her character and joined Hardison on the screen.

**--Leverage--**

"_Ianto, you're up."_ Nate's voice came through the earbuds, bringing Ianto out of his trance. He had been quiet content on staying in the background, listening in on Eliot and Jack's little competition. That was what he did best, become invisible. But duty was calling, so Ianto straightened up, checking to make sure his tie was in place, before striding over to meet Sophie, who was currently chatting up the mark.

"Oh, Grigori! Such a beautiful story! I'll have to ask about the rest some time. Ah!" She exclaimed, seeing Ianto approach. "Here he is, your miracle boy!"

She gestured for Ianto to come closer, which he did, giving a conservative smile, no teeth shown. He was supposed to be acting like he didn't fit in with the rich crowd, which he didn't need to act _that_ much. The secretly conceded part, however, he had to work on.

"Grigori, this is Daffyd Lloyd, the genius I was telling you about." Sophie gave a dazzling smile and gave Ianto a quick pat on the back. Grigori outstretched his hand, which the Welshman took, shaking it firmly. The other man gave a short smile and dropped his hand.

Sophie continued. "He's brilliant, Grigori, brilliant. Daffyd here has _revolutionized_ coffee!"

Ianto couldn't help but smirk, and noticed that the mark was waiting for more. However, Sophie was looking dead at him, so he cleared his throat. "It was simple logic. You take the one thing in the world that people rely on the most, and make it more addictive."

Now, it was time to give a real smile, or a grin, and Ianto gave something that was a cross between the two. Grigori looked as if he was contemplating something. "How?"

"And ingredient that makes the taste just _a little_ bit better, for less than a conventional starbucks." Ianto said, slipping into character, slipping into all the lies. He was good at that, at least. "We've done a test run on a small part of America. We're the only coffee business left, making a…_generous_ income."

This got the man's attention. "How much income?"

But Ianto stayed silent, allowing Sophie to once again take over. That was her part of the conversation, not his. "seven figures."

"In one location?" Grigori asked, completely hooked. Sophie nodded and the man glanced at Ianto, who gave another small smile. A smile that was hiding something. Grigori then looked around, and gave Sophie a look that made her very happy. "Let's move this to a more private setting, shall we?"

Inside, Ianto gave out a large sigh of relief. He glanced over to where Jack and Eliot were, hopping they were having just as much luck.

In fact, they were.

Eliot chuckled, changing the weight on his feet by shifting as he listened to Katie recite yet another interesting story of one of her fathers exploits. In truth, he was getting quiet annoyed at the never ending stories, and how she kept running circles over his arm, but never doing anything more. Eliot had tried to suggest leaving several times, but was cut short as she changed topic. He narrowed his eyes as she did it again, then shook it off. She had to be testing him, or something. She was a bit more than pretty, he had decided. She must get come ons at parties more often than not. Vetting him, maybe? So he played along.

"Darlin, I think your father and Jack are cut from the same cloth." He took another sip from his drink, not daring to turn around, where he knew Jack was standing. He didn't want to bring any more attention to the man than he already was.

Katie smiled, running her hand up his arm again. Eliot smirked. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder and tried very hard to suppress a groan.

"Richie! My man, I see you've gotten yourself quiet a handful." He shot a dazzling grin toward Katie, who returned it a _bit_ too eagerly.

"You must be the infamous Jack Harkness." She said with a grin, and Eliot watched the situation leave his hands completely.

"Infamous?" He turned to Eliot. "You've been doing your job very well. Go get us a drink, will you? The lady here disserves something better." A large smile grew larger as Jack watched Eliot sputter, then narrow his eyes. He couldn't make a scene, not here. And if he argued, he knew it would go out of hand, and neither of them would be leaving with her that night. Jack wasn't just a con man, he was a very good one. Eliot stalked off, with no intent of bringing either of them drinks. "Nate, I'm out of position."

"_Leave Jack, you said he was adequate enough to protect himself if anything went haywire. Mingle, but be ready in case anything with Sophie and Ianto goes wrong._" Eliot nodded, knowing that Nate was watching him from somewhere, then stored his anger for later.

About half an hour later, Eliot watched as Jack and Katie stood up, then left the building. Eliot growled despite himself. How the hell did the man do it? However, the next words of Jack Harkness, several minutes later, caused Eliot to rethink his original evaluation.

"_Guys, we have a problem."_

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**^_^ Hope you liked it.**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Ok, this chapter gave me so many problems, and the end result kinda wrote itself once I got started. I threw away any of my original plans halfway through. The characters wouldn't listen to me. ^_^ Putting that aside, I'm actually liking this more than what I had originally planned. This is going to extend the story by a chapter or two, which I'm sure isn't that big of a problem. Also, no Hardison this chapter. Sorry. Special thanks to my reviewers and silent stalkers. Love you guys!**

**Follow me on Twitter, /kausingkayn**

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"_Guys, we have a problem." _

"What do you mean, problem?" Nate asked, bringing his champagne flute up to his lips, faking a sip so that the company he was currently with wouldn't see his lips moving. The people weren't important to the con, it was just a way to keep from drawing too much attention. Being all by yourself at a social gathering was about as loud as standing up on a table and starting to strip.

"_She wants to go to my place._" Jack's voice hissed over the other line, sounding like a mixture of distraction and stress.

Nate frowned and excused himself from his current conversation, making his way to the men's bathroom, needing a quiet place where he could think. This wasn't good. Not good at all. She was supposed to take him to her place – which was her fathers. Jack would distract her while Parker slipped in and stole the necklace, along with whatever else in the house seemed valuable. She would also be planting some incriminating evidence, so when the police came to investigate the burglary, they would find more than enough to put the Haulms family out of business and behind bars for life.

They had originally started to talk about what would happen if she didn't take him to her place, but both Jack and Eliot insisted that it wouldn't be a problem. Apparently, it was.

"Well, fix it." Nate said, feeling impatient. The man had claimed that his bite was as big as his bark – in both senses of the statement – but this wasn't the time to scold him. "Ok…say you have a roommate, thin walls, nosy neighbors, uncomfortable bed…pick one."

The other line fell silent, then Nate listened as the conversation played out on the other side. Seems like the Captain had gone for the nosy neighbors – good choice. A woman like Katie, whose father was in a business like his, would want to lay low, even though taking strangers home for a one night stand wasn't exactly the best way to keep that profile. Nate then tapped his comm, opening a line. "Soph, keep me updated."

"_He's getting ready to sign over a nice little fortune._" Came the grifters smooth voice. She and Ianto were currently situated in a small – if not cozy – back room that was connected to the main ballroom. It had been vacant, and was the perfect place to talk business. From the moment they had entered the room, Sophie had realized that the mark was prepared to make at least one business ordeal that night. Papers had already been set up, and there were bottles of water sitting at each chair. However, it looked as if he had been looking forward to a few more people gracing the room. Oh well.

Her and Ianto had sat down, and with the younger man having played his part, Sophie took over the negotiations. Ianto would every once in a while interject with a comment or two, to make it obvious that he was listening. Grigori was hooked from the start, asking all kinds of questions and putting on a tough face – Sophie knew it was a ruse to try and get them to lower their price. But Nate had been adamant about how much money needed to exchange hands before he could be on the hook for embezzlement.

Grigori leaned back in his large, over plump leather chair and intertwined his fingers, thinking. Ianto had to stifle a small laugh – he looked like he had come straight out of some mob movie. All he needed was the fat cat and the Italian accent.

Then, he leaned forward and snapped his fingers. The door to the small room opened and three very large security men entered the room; one blocking the exit while the other two came and stood behind Ianto and Sophie. Grigori then stood up and clicked his tongue against his teeth. "I had my suspicions the first time I saw you. But then you come again? Do you really think I'm _that_ dense?"

He nodded, and the two men behind the grifter and Welshman grabbed their arms roughly and plucked the ear buds out of their ears, squishing them between their fingers, gaining an uneasy look from both of them.

Grigori smiled, and continued. "At least the first time it was only my suspicions. My security head was fixing all the comms of his men on the same airwave, and happened to stumble across your teams frequency."

The man reached into his ear and removed his own ear bud, letting Ianto and Sophie hear as Nate's frantic voice came through the other end, calling for them to answer him. "I've been listening the whole time. Needless to say, your other friend…Jack Harkness? He will be getting a very ugly surprise."

Then he nodded, and the two large men took out handcuffs and attached them to Sophie and Ianto's wrists. The grifter twisted and turned, trying to get free, while Ianto stood there, not moving, as he felt the metal close over his wrist, biting into his skin. Then, without warning, he lashed his head backwards, catching the bodyguard on the chin. There was a sickening crack and then a crash as the man stumbled backwards and hit the wall. Ianto twirled around and backed up against the table so he could face whoever would come next. The man who had been holding Sophie approached him, and Ianto jumped up, sitting on the edge of the table so he could bring his legs up. He kicked straight out, hitting the man right in the gut. The man grunted and fell slightly backwards, but was up and angry within seconds. With Ianto's hands cuffed behind his back, he could do nothing but take wild kicks at the man. Then, the other guard, who had been head-butted, stood up and came from the side, grabbing Ianto by the shoulders and pulling him off of the table, holding him while the other man socked him in the gut several times. Sophie, eyes wide, started to yell, begging them to stop. She winced each time the guards hand came in contact with Ianto. Grigori rolled his eyes at Sophie's antics, but finally stopped him men with a wave of his hand. The two men nodded, and the one guard took the time to get in one last punch, hitting Ianto square in the face. Then man let out a strangled yell before slumping into the grasp of the other guard. The Welshman was thrown unceremoniously onto the floor, where the guards continued to tie him up, attaching him to the table.

They then moved on to Sophie, who they tied up in the same fashion. The grifter didn't struggle or even say anything. She kept still as they tied her up, not wanting to anger them anymore than they were already. Once she was securely fastened, the guards left the room, allowing Grigori to be alone with his captives. He held up the earpiece. "I'll leave this in here, so you can hear what is happening to your team."

He placed the bud in the middle of the table and smirked. "Your Jack Harkness will not survive the night, Nathan Ford will meet a similar demise, and Eliot Spencer…oh, I'm not going to kill him. Not when I could get a million dollars for someone else to do it painfully slow. And your thief…lets just say that Cardiff prisons aren't as homey as your American cells…"

"What do you want?" Sophie asked.

Grigori just laughed. "You think this is a ransom? This is an example, to show all the other little people out there what happens when you mess with a man like me."

Then he turned, and left the room.

**--Leverage--**

Jack smirked and got out of the car, walking around to the other side, intent on getting the door for his 'date' of the night. He had turned off his comm after Nate had helped him with his little dilemma. He didn't want anyone, especially his Welshman, hear what would be coming next. Jack hesitated a bit at that thought, the car door handle between his fingers.

Ianto had to know that Jack wasn't the exclusive kind of man – even though he hadn't slept with anyone (or anything) else since the two of them had become a little more than just a random shag. The Welshman had seemed fine with the whole situation – then again, he always seemed fine with everything.

Jack shrugged off the thoughts and opened the door, giving a lecherous grin to Katie, who returned it with an equal volume. They made it up the steps, Jack trying his best to distract her as she went for the keys. He was to make sure than any alarm systems for the house were turned off and that Katie was distracted enough not to hear anything in case Parker made any noise. The thief would be following several minutes behind them, and had told Jack that she needed five minutes once they were in the house. Jack had boasted that she could take a couple hours and still have plenty of time, and then Ianto had blushed and the thief had looked _way_ too interested, and Nate had forged ahead with a cough.

Katie finally managed to get the front door open, and they stumbled in, Jack's hand on her thighs while his tongue was making patterns on her neck. Somehow, they made it into the bedroom, which was thankfully not too far away from the front door. The Captain had wasted no time helping Katie out of her dress, and was making his way down her chest as she unbuttoned his own shirt. Soon, his jacket, shirt, tie, and trainers joined her dress on the floor, and they were on the bed. Jack, even though he was underneath, managed to maintain control, smirking as he found sweet spots and pleasure points.

Never once did they kiss.

Then Katie slipped her hand below Jack's waist, and for a moment he lost his concentration. He let out a soft moan, which was accompanied by a metallic click, and the feeling of cold teeth biting into his wrist. Jack's eyes flew open and he gave a small frown, his breath labored as he stared at the woman on top of him, who was just sitting there, frowning. He smirked, although he felt like something was wrong. Very wrong. He gently jostled the handcuff that was around his wrist, his other hand free to prop him up a bit in the bed. "Kinky. I like it."

Katie just rolled her eyes and got off the bed, slipping back into her dress, then rooting around in her drawer. She found what she was looking for and turned back to meet Jack. The Captain's half-smile turned to a frown very quickly as he saw what it was she was holding.

It was a gun.

Jack brought his free hand up to his comm, a feeling of dread sinking deep in his stomach as he realized he was missing his ear bud.

"Looking for this?" Katie asked, holding up his comm in her other hand. Her smirk grew as large as his frown. She cocked the gun. "You know, your other friend – Spencer – he was cuter than you. And more polite too. I don't know _how_ anyone can put up with you. I'd have taken your friend, but daddy had something else in mind for him. You weren't important."

She gestured with her gun as she talked, and Jack tried to pull his hand out from the cuffs. However, all he managed to do was draw blood. He sighed and turned his attention to the girl, adopting a grin that hide the worry and dread that he was feeling. Not for himself, of course. He would survive. It was more for the little blonde thief around the corner who was about to walk into a trap, or the others at the party. Or the cute Welshman that had been dragged into all of this. "I'm sure if you would have kept going, you would have found I have _some_ good qualities."

Katie rolled her eyes and aimed her gun directly at Jack chest. "Here is what's going to happen. I'm going to shoot you. Then, my friend outside is going to take your body and position it so that it looked like you had broken in. Here I was, little innocent, in my room, asleep from a little too much champagne at daddy's party. You come in, find me, and decide to have some fun. I wake up, reach for my legally owned gun, and shoot you."

Jack's face betrayed the surprise he was feeling, and Katie laughed. "You thought I was an innocent little daddy's girl, didn't you? Your whole team thought so, daddy said so."

She cocked her head sideways and brought both of her hands to the gun to steady it. "I've shot people before. Never killed though…daddy says that I have to learn to kill before I take over the business."

Then she shrugged, and fired.

From outside the window, a small blonde head was gazing in. Parker had been in the bushes, waiting for the perfect time to break in, when another car had pulled up in the driveway. A man had gotten out of it, carrying a large suitcase that looked like something Eliot would be carrying around. So Parker had tried to reach Jack, but found that he had turned off his comm. She then tried to get in touch with Nate – reaching him, she told him what was happening. She had been instructed to sit tight and watch things play out. She had.

What she wasn't expecting, was the sound of a gunshot, followed several minutes later by the man with the suitcase carrying a body out of the bedroom. A dead body. Jack.

Parker's eyes grew wide and she gasped, backing away and fleeing the scene. "Nate!" She cried as soon as she was far enough away from the house. Her eyes were starting to blur from the tears, and her heart was beating fast. Parker sunk into her car, shaking her head. "Nate! They killed him! Jack…Jack's dead!"

**--Torchwood--**

Nate paced in the men's bathroom, talking as loud as he would allow himself into his comm. "Sophie! Ianto! Talk to me!"

Nothing.

"Eliot! I've lost communication with Sophie and Ianto. Find them." Then he switched lines and tried to get in contact with Jack, knowing that something was going on. Nothing from him too, the man had turned off his comm. Upset, Nate tried to get Parker, knowing that the girl was close enough to go and check on Jack if they needed her too. All she did was give him an update. Some other guy had arrived at the house. Nate frowned and switched his comm back to the initial line, once again asking Eliot what was going on.

No reply.

Then, Nate looked up as two men entered the bathroom. They were large, bulky, and oozed security guard.

"Nathan Ford. Please come with us." The one of the left said, his tone of voice telling Nate that even if he didn't want to go with them, he would end up where ever they wanted him to go anyway. So he frowned, but walked with them, hoping that Eliot had found Sophie and Ianto and gotten them out of here.

His hope was short lived, when several seconds later he entered a small bare room to find the hitter inside, slumped over in the corner. The man was handcuffed by the feet and the hands. His head was bleeding, half of his face was swollen, and Nate was willing to bet that they had punched his gut a few good times, just for kicks. He was awake, and looked up as they brought Nate in. Eliot, hate and anger coursing through his eyes, growled at the two men. The guards tightened their grip on Nate, but the mastermind noticed how they avoided that particular corner of the room. The tips of his mouth turned upward oh so little.

They tied Nate up the same way, then threw him onto the ground and closed the door, leaving the two men by themselves. Nate looked up, however, and saw a small video camera in the corner of the ceiling. They were being watched.

It was then that Nate also realized that the men hadn't taken his ear bud. They must have known he was wearing one…unless they wanted him to have it, to hear whatever hell they were raising on the rest of them.

Then, Parker's voice came crackling through his ear, and her words turned his blood cold. _"Nate! They killed him! Jack…Jack's dead!"_

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**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all of you being so patient these past weeks. It's been a mixture of the play I am in, the school work, applications for this other school I'm attempting to get in, laziness, and complete and utter writers block. But now, I'm back – a little, at least. This is more of a filler, setting up for what happens next. I've been thinking about making a LiveJournal account – yay or nay?**

**For those of you who are Leverage fans, I'm currently at the Con-Con in Portland, and am about to head off to meet the crew right now. ^_^ If any of you are here as well, let me know, I would love to meet you. If anyone wants pictures of the event, and don't mind me being in some of them, let me know about that as well, and I would be glad to send them to you.**

**Met tons of people from LiveJournal, a bunch of who write for Torchwood as well. It was kinda strange, standing in line for a Leverage event talking about Torchwood…anyway. Enough about that.**

**Special thanks to all of my reviewers and silent stalkers, you guys always are and always shall be the motivating power behind my stories.**

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Jack woke up to a dark room. He bolted upward, gasping in as much oxygen as possible, trying to get the blood circulating in his system again – trying to once more be alive. He had an excruciating headache, the pounding causing him unable to focus on anything or make out anything other than random dark blobs and shapes. He blinked a few times, dispersing the fresh tears that welled in his eyes from the pain. After several moments of hearing nothing other than the sound of his own labored breathing, footsteps approached.

Then, there was a scream.

The footsteps receded, then returned several minutes later, accompanied by another set. A heavier, larger sounding set.

"I shot him right between the eyes! He was dead!" A high-pitched, feminine voice squealed. It was familiar, and Jack was flooded with the memories of how, exactly, he had come to be down in a dark room, dead. After slowly feeling himself for any other oddities, he added half-naked to the list.

"Maybe you missed…" The other voice said. It was slow, deep, and dumb. Jack would have laughed and made some kind of comment if his head didn't hurt so much.

"Well…I did have a lot to drink…" The woman said, sounding unconvinced. Then, Jack heard the click of a gun being loaded, then the rustling of fabric.

A loud bang, followed by nothingness.

**--Leverage--**

"_Jack…Jack's dead!_"

The words came crackling through the small earbud sitting in the middle of the conference room. They were faint and broken up, but Sophie understood every single syllable.

She was silent for a few moments, in a state of in-between while the reality of the situation filtered through her body – her mind. Nate was caught, Eliot was out of commission, Ianto was still out cold, Parker was out in the wind with no help…and Jack was dead. She glanced over at the dead weight that was attached to the other leg of the table. Even though he was knocked out, and there were bruises forming on his face, Ianto looked so _young._ How old had he said he was? Sophie remembered him telling her in the mall. She was normally good at guessing ages, but she had been almost ten years too high with the young man. He just had an air of experience around him, and when she looked into his eyes, she was looking at someone who had seen way too much than they ever needed to see. But now, asleep – if such a sweet word could be used – he looked exactly how young he was.

Tears started to fall down Sophie's face, but she wouldn't let herself sob. The men could come back in at any moment, and she didn't want them to see her so upset – but she couldn't stop the tears. She had only known Jack for a few days, but that was all it had taken. The man was loud and flamboyant – he had the personality and the vanity for several men. But she couldn't hate him for his attitude, or even be a bit annoyed by it all. And that _cologne…_

She shook her head, pulling her mind away from those thoughts, the man was dead. He was dead, and his partner was lying next to her, unconscious. Fate was cruel sometimes.

They would get out of there, Sophie was determined. The man at least disserved a burial, and there was a very large chance that he wouldn't get one if they remained locked up here until someone came by to take them to god-knows-where.

But first, she had to get some help.

"Ianto!" He said, quietly at first, but then louder as her actions elicited no response. "Wake up!"

She reiterated this a few times, even stretching out enough to nudge his leg with her toe. He finally groaned and shifted, his eyes blinking rapidly as he came back to the land of the living. Sophie didn't say anything, and attempted to dry her tears as easily as someone whose hands were tied behind their back could. He finally came around enough to pull at his restraints, and murmur some choice words at their mark.

She watched him, and bit her tongue. She wouldn't tell him about his partner's demise, not yet anyway. She needed him focused enough for them to get out of this position. She would tell them as soon as they were all safe – all except Jack, of course. Jack would never be ok again.

"God…feel like shit." Ianto said leaning his head against the leg of the table as he mentally took stock of his injuries. His chest was hurting like hell, and he was pretty sure that he had broken several ribs. His face was swelling and on fire, and he had a headache. Pretty good for a day out of the office.

"I know." Sophie said sympathetically, before sighing. "We've got to get out of here, Nate will have a plan."

Ianto closed his eyes and was silent for a few moments, and after a while Sophie was almost afraid that he had drifted back into unconsciousness. However, Ianto opened his eyes once again and fixed Sophie was a stare – one that she felt was staring directly into her soul. Then, he smirked, and the grifter couldn't help but smile as well.

"How good are you at acting, miss Devereaux?" Ianto asked, and Sophie gave a light giggle.

**--Leverage--**

He woke up again – the same jerking motion, the same need for oxygen, the same headache, only this time it was accompanied by a sore ribcage. There were lights this time, blinding lights coming from a very expensive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He was splayed out on the plush carpet, and Jack took a moment to marvel at it's softness. He then glanced around as his vision cleared, once again confused as to how he had gotten in this particular situation.

His body had been positioned in a purposeful manner, that much Jack knew by looking around at his surroundings. There was a bullet hole in the wall opposite of him, and there were several broken plants and other things. He heard commotion, and tried to listen, but his ears were still pounding.

This time it was a gasp instead of a scream, although it did the same thing to his senses. Jack was barely able to register that he had been dressed fully in his clothes before there was another loud noise, and the darkness enveloped him once again.

**--Leverage--**

Nate scooted over to the corner where Eliot was, doing his best with his limited range of movement. "Eliot, you ok?"

The hitter snorted in reply to the obviously dumb question, but nodded all the same. He tried to hide a wince, but Nate saw it. The mastermind mentally kicked himself for once again getting his team into a horribly bleak situation such as this. The man's eyes stung from the tears that he was trying to hide back. Jack Harkness was dead. He barely knew the man, but he had been a part of his team, if only for a little while. He had brought hope back into a hopeless situation, and had put his life out on a limb for them. He had put his life out on a limb and paid the price.

It made Nate think about the fate he would more than likely be encountering, sooner rather than later. He was on the other side of the law now, and he of all people knew what happened to people like that. They got caught. How much longer would he be able to last until he finally met his demise? Until he, Nathan Ford, was put into prison, or worse, killed? He couldn't even bare the thought of one of the others dieing, not because of him. He glanced at Eliot, and once again felt that guilt.

The hitter looked Nate in the eyes, his own full of anger and pain, and most of all, annoyance. It baffled Nate how, in such a situation, a man could be feeling annoyed. "Whad'ya got for us, Nate?" Eliot asked, his voice rough and scratchy, but completely trusting. Another twinge in the masterminds stomach. He was going to have horrible indigestion later.

He sighed. "I…" He stopped himself before finishing that sentence. He wouldn't say those words, not until every other option was exhausted. He had people out there, people in danger. "Ok, Sophie, and Ianto are unresponsive, probably being held somewhere like us. Parker's still in contact, but we're being monitored. And…Jack's…dead."

Eliot eyes widened for a second, then a growl came from the man's lips. "When I find who killed him, they'll wish they were dead."

Nate ignored that comment, knowing full well that the hitter would carry out that threat too. His mind worked in overtime, running through everything he knew. Every plan, A through B. What could he do? He prioritized himself. He needed to get himself and Eliot out of the room, find Sophie and Ianto. Then, take down the mark. And take him down _hard._ There was no way that man would get away with foiling them twice, and now Nate had a life to avenge. He would make him pay with hell, or his name wasn't Nathan Ford.

"Parker…initiate plan M." Nate said suddenly, then glanced at Eliot. "How much you got left in you?"

The hitter gave a smile that caused chills to run down Nate's spine.

"I'm just warming up."

**--Leverage--**

He jerked and bolted upward, but this time his head came in contact with something solid and hard, and he fell backwards, halfway out of consciousness. Now he had _two_ headaches, his chest hurt, and his whole body felt like it was on fire. There were several faces staring at him, only one being female and familiar. The face of his mark, the one that had gotten him killed – three times.

"What the hell?" the female said, poking him with something cold.

"I swear we hit him." The dumb voice met Jack's ears, and if the Captain was able to speak just then, he would have done so.

"This is just…crazy. Like, television crazy." She said, and Jack couldn't suppress a laugh. It came out more like a garbled groan, but he got his point across. It was kinda ironic, seeing how he really _was_ a sci-fi show, at least in this dimension. "We could get millions for this guy…I bet someone in America would love to cut him apart and see how he works."

This got Jack's attention. He tried to sit up, his head slowly clearing, the bump he had gotten from hitting his head already disappearing. However, when he moved, the dumb one brought him gun up, and lashed out, catching Jack's temple and causing him to instantly get knocked out. Therefore, Jack was unable to hear the _very_ loud crash that came from the lobby.

**--Leverage--**

"_Parker…initiate plan M._"

The thief just sat in her car for a moment, trying to remember what exactly plan M _was._ She never remembered being taught a plan M for any of their cons. Then, her mind when back to their very first job, and a slow, mischievous smile spread onto her face. It would work – it would definitely work. Of course, they would have to substitute Jack for Hardison, and the fact that Jack was _actually _dead would put a small kink in things – Parker's eyes stung a bit as she thought about the handsome con-man. However, she quickly brought her sleeve to her face and wiped them away, there was a time and a place for everything.

She glanced around one last time to make sure that no strangling guard or outsider would happen upon her and her car, then slinked out, taking care and time to make sure that the care door made no noise as it shut. She opened the trunk and rummaged through her 'emergency kit.' She always had one close by, just in case situations like this one happened to arise. She took out a few choice items before storing it back in the secret compartment of her trunk – didn't need anyone stumbling upon that.

Then, with all the gracefulness of a woman and the stealth ness of a thief, Parker walked straight up the front of the lawn, across the driveway, up the steps, and rang the doorbell.

The door opened. The thief gave a blinding smile, reaching inside her coat pocket, withdrew a crowbar, and swung with all of her might – which, for a woman of her size, was pretty hard.

The man that answered the door barely had any time to react, forget about ducking the blow. He went down before the sickening crunch of his nose managed to hit Parker's ears. Knowing that time was a limited thing, the thief ran inside and instantly darted into a different room. She had made her entrance, injured her bad guy. Now she needed to plant the evidence, make more noise, and get the hell outta there.

She headed straight to where the house plans said the bedroom was. She had to hide in a randomly placed closet as footsteps walked by, cutting a few precious seconds off of her time. As soon as the others in the house found the injured man by the door, the hunt would be on. And, knowing the patterns of their mark, Parker knew that their course of action for a break-in _wouldn't_ be a call to the police.

She bolted into the bedroom and withdrew several documents from her other jacket pocket, setting the crowbar down long enough to stuff the incriminating evidence into several strategically picked places. Hurried but not sloppy, she finished rather quickly, and retrieving her weapon, the thief headed for the office.

There were several yells that came from the front of the house when Parker was halfway finished with the office. They had found her man. A game of cat and mouse ensued as Parker heard the tell-tale click of rounds entering the chambers, along with harsh orders – not all of which were in English. She finished up her job and left, now with only one thing left in mind – finding the security panel. She abandoned the crowbar now so that she could use two hands, and with a quietness that would cause a mouse to cry tears of pride, she crept to the back door, where she knew there was a small security panel.

Before Hardison had…disappeared, he had figured out the Haulms' security emergency codes. Basically, that translated into a certain number that would set an immediate quiet alarm directly to the police. Even black market bastards liked to know that the police would come screeching to their house in the event of a break-in. Like what was happening now.

Parker found the panel, and was a bit worried that there was no one in sight. She had heard footsteps for the past few minutes she had been wandering around, but hadn't seen anyone yet. It was starting to cause her to get a bit paranoid.

She snuck up to the panel and opened it, rubbing her hands together before getting started on the wires, putting her 'magic' to use. She had almost sent out the silent alarm when she heard a soft click. Freezing in place, she turned around, her hands in the air, staring dead into the eyes of a security man.

He was several feet out of reach, and holding a large semi-automatic firearm in his two hands like he knew how to use it. "Don't move." His voice was low and dangerous, steady and unwavering. Parker, as a thief, had dealt with many types of hired security in her time. There were the rent-a-cops, that rode around malls on little motorized bikes and honked at loiterers. They never used the tazers that they had been issued, and would more than likely faint if threatened. Then there were the more serious men, the ones who were police or FBI and retired into body-guard and hired security positions. They were a bit more dangerous, but were still easy to bluff. Then there were the ex-spies and KGB and whatever else was truly dangerous. They knew how to use guns, and even if they didn't have a gun, they could probably kill you just by using their pinky. The most dangerous thing about these men, though, was the fact that they were very, _very_ trigger-happy.

The man standing in front of Parker was of background number three.

Shit.

She didn't say anything, only continued her staring competition. His eyes were boring holes in hers, and visa versa. She saw the vein in his neck bulge, his finer twitch on the trigger, and she knew that she only had seconds to live.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, at the last second wondering if they would through her where Jack's body was.

A shot rang out, and Parker flinched. But as the moments passed, and she remained pain free, the woman slowly opened her eyes, confusion written all over her face. That confusion immediately intensified, and was joined by shock. The hired man was lying on the floor, blood pooling on the floor, where a hole in his forehead was sitting. That wasn't what shocked the thief. Not a lot of things could cause Parker to act like she was at the moment, but a man whom she thought was dead – and excruciatingly sexy – standing in front of her alive as can be and holding the literal smoking gun and smiling at her like _that_, was definitely a situation where she allowed herself to be shocked.

"Captain Jack Harkness, to the rescue." The man said, calmly as could be. He stepped forward and offered the gun, butt first, which she numbly accepted. "What?" He asked in concern as he glanced at the body on the floor. "Never see a dead body before?"

She shook her head, finding her voice. "It's just…Eliot doesn't use guns…" She said lamely, her mind screaming 'he's alive, he's alive, how the hell is he alive?'

Jack just rolled his eyes and sighed. "So I've heard." Then he paused, and placed his hands on his hips. "Well, are you gonna get on with it? We have some painfully handsome people we need to save."

Parker snapped out of her daze at the mention of the rest of the team, who all thought that the Captain was dead. She nodded, and gave a scary smile, that Jack wholeheartedly returned.

* * *

**There you have it, folks. Lemme know what you think, whether it be positive of negative. I love seeing reviews in my inbox, it absolutely brightens my day!**

**What do you think the Leverage Team is up to next? What exactly is Plan M? Find out next chapter!**

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